A Vancouver Anarchist Publication

Announcing the third edition of Wreck. We are putting this out with the aims to create an anarchist discourse within so called Vancouver. Anarchist discourse is dominated by those with the loudest voices, from those who have podcasts to others who engage in social media. We want to create our own narratives, specific to our conditions. An anarchist perspective encourages those to speak who have passion, being a man or having a university education is no qualifier for a valued opinion.

This publication encourages various anarchist perspectives. We have been successful so far in that we have published articles ranging in subject matter, from social work to social war, relevant to us in this little corner of the world. These are conversations coming from our hearts. This is not just ideology, nor are these articles just ideas to us, but our lived experiences. These are expressions of our desires. We are anarchists and move in the direction of actualizing them. Publications are not the only way to go about that. In a context like Vancouver, where everything seems so dismal, there are plenty of opportunities for experimentation.

The increasing level of gentrification and property speculation is resulting in an increasing level of stress and alienation. As friends move away and memories are bulldozed, this process is also coinciding with increased levels of apathy. As the most solid people leave, those who stick around are desperate to cling to some kind of scene, and are unlikely to make waves or hold onto principles; too stressed at losing what little human interaction they have, superficial as most relationships in this city can be. Unlikely to break out into the world of possibilities.

As local anarcho-surrealist author from Sla-dai-aich (Inner Island), Ron Sakolsky has put it, many of our relationships and our manner of survival in this city( and throughout capitalist society), can be well described as mutual acquiescence. We simply accept our reality, and work together reproduce the conditions that feed our misery and anxiety.

And as Ron argues further, we can instead create moments and worlds, of mutual aid and solidarity, that meet our needs, dreams and desires, where the market never can. Where un-affordability is suffocating us, we can claim our dignity by squatting those rich peoples houses who are no where to be seen. Where the friday night anxiety keeps us confined in the same drunken routine, we can practice autonomous forms of self-organization that attack, challenge, or critique the horrific reality we talk and “facebook share” about way too much, and party in between. Where the destruction of the land and water breaks our hearts and crushes our spirits, we can begin to practice our very own struggle against this process, that might actually honour the too often empty platitudes about acknowledging stolen lands. Where our relationships so often fail us, we can rush into an expansive revolt with the ones we find the most comfortable, rather than the retreat of a self-confined space or scene.

At a time like now, and as always before, we can dig back into our anarchist roots. And we can also dig into the roots or examples of people who refused to accept their oppressive realities since the dawn of time. Like the anarchist rebels: women, ex-prisoners, etc, who carried arms and supplies out into the Spanish countryside in 1936, not only to fight against the threat of fascism, but because they refused to accept the hospitality of a democratic regime. Like so many of our comrades now and before, who refuse to bow before the logic of political legitimacy, of reform, of civility, of making ourselves eternally useful to the progress of this death machine, and instead practice direct action in an infinite variety of forms. Or like the english settlers to Roanoke Island, who in 1587 abandoned the colonial project, leaving only a signpost saying “Croatoan”, who intermarried and culturally mixed with local native folks and who’s descendants became the Lumbee People. And like the descendants of these people, the Lowry gang, who were mostly Lumbees, who engaged in an insurgent guerrilla war with plantation society in North Carolina in the 1800’s.

Though never guaranteed, our acts of refusal and rebellion can have far reaching consequences, and

can open up space for further acts of rebellion. If we can just begin, by honouring our own desires, we can castaway from the wreckage of this civilization, and find ourselves shipwrecked at a “Croatoan” of our own making! This is the provocation that is wreck!

In this issue, we have a couple articles that deal with the current context in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver and accounts of struggle there. There is also an account of the struggle at Lax U’u’la (Lelu Island) where indigenous, anarchist and other forces are stopping the construction of a liquified natural gas plant. There is a review and analysis of the concepts and implication of a book written by a Yippie and anarchist from Vancouver and areas close by. There is a devastating critique of “safety” in the radical imagination. There is some coverage of events elsewhere on this continent that might be of interest to anarchists locally. And there is an account of a recent mobilization against a fascist lawyer and politician in Vancouver.

Get the pdf here: WRECKEdition3-2 , or pick up a copy somewhere around Vancouver.

Announcing the second edition of Wreck. An anarchist journal featuring theory, analysis, impassioned rants, emotional pleas, and other things, based out of the occupied Coast Salish territories.

We began this project with the hope of finding others. To that end we have been mildly successful. We have been overjoyed by the response it has received internationally, but we continue to strive for a vehicle of critique and communication locally. This issue we have a submission that tells the story of inspiring resistance to a Gold mine in an ancient forest. An anarchist analysis of the truth and reconciliation commission, as well as the media, report-backs from the wildly successful Commercial Drive Street Parties, a look back at the riots which caused 3 million dollars in damage to Vancouver’s downtown core in June of 2011, some words on the struggle against pipelines, and an anarchist’s rant on the 2015 Federal Election. We hope that you enjoy or hate this publication. That it’s pages cause you to curse or love anarchists from here afterwards. But above all that it clears the air of stagnation, like the rains we have come to miss.

The following is an article which will be featured in the second edition of “Wreck”, an anarchist publication based out of “Vancouver”. It is being released now because of it’s timeliness in relation to pipeline tensions up north. The second edition of Wreck is set to be released for the anarchist Bookfair in “Victoria”, September 12th, 13th, 2015.

Agency Against Pipelines

By Llud

The twin institutions of capitalism and the state are two of the most insanely destructive projects that human beings have ever devised. At present, climate change is becoming more and more obvious to the average person and the misery of capitalism is ever deepening. Resources that the capitalist system uses to stay afloat are drying up, and it is now forced to go into the shale rock and sand for these energy resources. In so called “BC”, we are seeing pipelines and refinery plants being pushed forward as a last ditch effort to keep the system running at it’s smooth pace in spite of economic and environmental catastrophe.

The resistance to these pipelines has been multi-form but also quite limited considering the vastness of the problem that must be tackled. We have seen non-violent civil disobedience play out on Burnaby Mountain in response to the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion, which served as little more than a media spectacle. We have seen Secwepemc rebels take a more disruptive approach at the gatherings of CEO’s and others with business interests related to pipeline infrastructure. Up north, we have seen traditional indigenous clan structures distance themselves from government band council structures, as a way to encourage their people to reclaim their culture and lands. All these among many others. Continue reading →

This appeared in Wreck Edition 1, don’t forget deadline for submissions to Edition 2 is June 30th, 2015.

Towards Unsettling Paths

by, Llud

“If non-indigenous anarchists are to develop ways of interacting with indigenous peoples that are different from those of political organizations they must begin from direct communication, solidarity and trust. Anyone who really wants to act in solidarity with others does not stumble around inside their homes, uninvited, stinking of arrogance and ignorance, and taking up space. It should go without saying that cultural differences and the unique experience of colonization should be understood and respected.

The old racist and inaccurate idea of the “noble savage”, which a few petty anarchist philosophers still hold on to, is in need of a complete demolition. As mentioned earlier, there are substantial variations between indigenous nations and communities in terms of their internal social structure. So a generalized model can’t match up with reality.

Real solidarity can be put into practice through direct contact with the indigenous sovereignty movement, and attacks on common enemies — using the principles of direct action, self-organization, and constant struggle.” – Insurgent S, Colonization, Self-Government and Self-Determination in British Columbia, 2003Continue reading →

WRECK is a newly launched print-based anarchist publication from so-called Vancouver presenting analysis on regional and world events. Our first edition includes articles written by local writers on a number of issues including police repression, anarcha-feminism, riots, struggles against pipelines, and others.

We intend for our project to offer an anarchist analysis to the events and activities that affect everyday life in Vancouver and surrounding regions. We hope that it will facilitate face-to-face conversations between anarchists and introduce anarchist ideas to those who are less familiar with them. Hopefully this publication can also act as a message in a bottle, allowing those far away to become aware of our projects and predicaments here.

We are looking for submissions for our second issue. We are interested in any piece that takes an anti-capitalist and anti-state approach to the matters that affect therm, and the people around them. Original artwork, poetry, and other artistic submissions are also welcome. If you would like to submit, or have an idea you would like to pass by the editors, email us at wreck@riseup.net. The deadline for submissions is June 30th, 2015.